Field
Various features relate to an apparatus, device and method for automated launch and recovery of a kite.
Background
Kites may be used to lift heavy objects by capturing and harnessing forces from the wind. However, kites that are operated in this way often require mechanical winches to manage their tethers due to the large lifting forces from the wind. The launch and recovery of kites with large lifting forces can be dangerous to an operator during the ground handling phase, since the direction and/or strength of the winds can be very unpredictable. Thus, an operator that is attempting to manually launch and/or recover a kite puts themselves at great risk of injury or death, since a strong wind can cause the winch to spin uncontrollably and hurt the operator. However, automating a launch and/or recovery operation for a kite can be challenging due to many factors, including dealing with tangled lines of the kite and/or positioning the kite in the proper orientation.
FIG. 1 illustrates a kite 100 that includes a canopy 102, support lines 104 and a tether 106. The support lines 104 are coupled to the canopy 102 and the tether 106. As shown in FIG. 1, the support lines 104 are tangled, which is problematic because support lines that are tangled may cut and/or or break more easily due to the friction caused by lines in contact with each other. This is especially a problem when the kite 100 is subjected to very strong winds. In addition, tangled lines may prevent the kite 100 from properly launching since the tangled support lines 104 may prevent the canopy 102 from properly opening up to capture the wind. This can cause the kite 100 to crash, which may damage or destroy any object the kite 100 was attempting to lift.
As such, there is a need for an automated kite launch and recovery device that can safely and reliably launch and recover a kite, without the need of an operator holding on to the tether and/or without the need of an operator manually operating a mechanical winch coupled to the tether of the kite. Such an automated kite launch and recovery device may also be capable of stowing the kite when the kite is not in use.